The Asian Studies community is saddened to announce the death of our former colleague, Professor Emeritus Matsuo Soga on June 29, 2025.
Professor Matsuo Soga was a distinguished scholar in linguistics and Japanese language education who taught at UBC from 1971 to 1992. Besides teaching both Japanese language and linguistics at the undergraduate and graduate levels, Professor Soga worked tirelessly to grow the Japanese Language Program in the Department of Asian Studies—enrollments tripled during his 21 years of teaching at UBC, growing from 170 to 570 students.
Beyond UBC, Professor Soga was a pioneer in Japanese language education across British Columbia. He co-founded the BC Japanese Speech Contest 37 years ago, an event that continues to thrive to this day. His leadership also played a foundational role in the establishment of the Japanese Language Teachers’ Association (JALTA) in BC. He served in various capacities—mentor, advisor, and speaker—supporting local educators and shaping professional development opportunities across the province.
At the international level, he was also one of the two founding professors of the renowned summer Japanese language program at Middlebury College in the 1970s. It was one of the first immersion language programs in North America where culture was also incorporated with language learning. The program remains one of the most prestigious in the field, drawing students from across North America, including many from Ivy League institutions.
After retiring from UBC, Professor Soga continued teaching and mentoring students in Japan. He supported the education of the next generation of researchers and educators by establishing a graduate (MA) program at Nanzan University, and launching new undergraduate and graduate (MA and Ph.D.) programs at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies. His lifelong love of teaching led to a decade of helping his wife, Lillian, teach English to a small group of women that lived in his condo building.
In 2015, Professor Soga returned to UBC as a keynote speaker for a symposium titled Voices of Kakehashi. The term kakehashi—literally “bridge across”—was popularized by Inazo Nitobe, who once expressed his hope: “Negawaku wa ware Taiheiyō no kakehashi to naran” (“I wish to become a bridge across the Pacific”). Inspired by this metaphor, the symposium brought together Japanese Canadians engaged in intercultural and bridging efforts to share their experiences and insights.
This symposium subsequently led to the publication of a digital book titled Voices of Kakehashi in Multicultural Canada: Transcultural and Intercultural Experiences, to which Professor Soga contributed two chapters.
The impact of Professor Soga’s work—spanning decades, disciplines, and continents—cannot be overstated. He was a visionary educator, a committed scholar, and a generous mentor. His influence bridged cultures and countries, making him a true embodiment of kakehashi—a bridge between Japan and Canada, and between generations of language learners, educators, and scholars. Numerous former students of Professor Soga now work as language teachers on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, all contributing greatly not only to Japanese language learning, but also to the promotion of intercultural communication and understanding, just like he did.
He is lovingly remembered by his children—Connie, Julie (Hugh), Eugene, and Naomi (Darcy); his grandchildren—Ben (Danny), Derek (Katherine), Jocelyn (Grant), Nathanial (Katie), Travis (Rhianna), Larissa, Christine (Mom, Louise), Jordyn, and Connor; and his great-grandchildren—Isla, Olivia, and Bennet. He will be forever in their hearts.
The Department of Asian Studies is proud to have been Professor Soga’s academic home for two decades. As a mark of the university’s respect, the flags outside the Irving K. Barber Library will be lowered to half-mast on September 5, 2025.
Professor Soga with Asian Studies colleagues in 2015 (left to right: Ross King, Matsuo Soga, Rebecca Chau, Kazuko Trudel)
